World Food Production

This is an exerpt from a papper that I wrote for Dr. Thomas' International Development class.

With the threat of the worlds population reaching 9 billion by the year 2050, this begs the question “Will it be possible to feed everyone?”(Clemmitt 557) While the state of world food production is complicated, and has far reaching implications, analysts are cautiously optimistic. World food production has not yet reached a resource limit, rather it is market structure's and government policy that are stifling production possibilities. "Potentially, can we feed everybody? Of course we can," says Ray Cesca, president of the World Agricultural Forum.(Clemmitt 557) It is a fact that there is a finite and scarce amount of resources available to us on this planet. The efficiency to which we utilize these resources and how efficiently they are distributed are the two factors that will prove out the answer to this question.

“Care should be taken not to think of food production only in fixed physical terms. Those with such a view often conclude that the potential for improving food output is limited. They argue that because there are too few new land frontiers to open, the worlds best farmland is already being farmed and available irrigation water supplies are already being used. This view of food production ignores the importance of economic forces and human capability. Land and water availability are important to food production , but as they become scarce, economic forces create strong incentives to use them more efficiently.”(Whenegren 6)

Jeffery Sachs talked about not thinking of our current food production in fixed terms in the end of poverty. But at the same time there is certain to be some type of limit but as far as we can asses we are far from it. The point I am trying to make is that there is an element of self regulation that is present with what we consume and how we consume it. What worries me is the damage that can be done in the time period leading up to our facing the constraints production. That is the period we are most concerned about when addressing poverty and conservation. Are we promoting an unsustainable standard of living in developing countries? We are certainly living one in developed countries and that problem has its advocates. But we must keep in mind the pressures in demand on the environment we are placing in our development efforts.